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Get Ready, Tread For
Ed 2K Walk - will take
place September 21,
2013, 5 p.m.
A team honoring Ed
Tomberlin
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District-wide Title I
Information Night will be
Monday, July 29,2013,7
-8 p.m. in Crawford
County Board of
Education Room,
Roberta, GA.
Issue 30
One Dollar
The Voice of Crawford County since 1921 (Also serving Byron & Peach Go.)
Thursday, July 25 2013
1 Section, 12 Page
Approved road list amended by County
Chairman not happy his district gets shorted
By Victoria Simmons
The Georgia Post
Roads, SPLOST and
personnel were major items
of discussion at last week’s
meeting of the Crawford
County Board of Commis
sioners.
County Administrator
Pat Kelly asked commis
sioners to reconsider the
road project list which had
been approved at the previ
ous meeting of the board.
Because of budgetary issues
Kelly asked the board to
consider adding the clearing,
widening, grading and drai-
ing of the southern portion
of Smith Chapel Road. In
doing this the county would
act as the contractor and the
Department of Transportatin
(DOT) would award an
estimated $97,000 for the
project and the county could
use those funds as additional
revenues to help balance the
FY 2014 budget.
Total cost of the Smith
Chapel project was
$127,500. This amount
would need to be removed
from the project list to
make financial room for the
project.
Kelly went on to say that
the Local Maintenance &
Improvement Grant (LMIG)
2013 project list had come
under the budgeted projec
tions. The grant required a
30% match from the county
of the awarded amount
of $274,230. The match
amount was $82,279 for
a total of $356,500. The
terms of the grant require
that the county spend all of
the funds and projections
indicate the county will be
about $25,000 short of that
requirement. Therefore,
Kelly requested the board
consider removing the Billy
White project from the 2014
LMIG list and amend the
2013 LMIG list to include
that project. Estimated cost
of Billy White project is
$28,530 which would satisfy
the requirement of the LMIG
for 2013.
Kelly also asked the board
to consider postponing the
Walton Road project un
til 2015. This would free
up necessary funds to add
the Smith Chapel project
($89,984) to the 2014 grant.
Chairman Dean Fripp
expressed concern that his
district has had few im
provement road projects
since he was elected to the
office and Walton Road was
one of those projects. The
discussion on how to pro
ceed became rather lengthy.
Fripp said he would support
the new list of projects pro
vided board members would
support his requests for the
2015 LMIG which would
include part of Rowell, Jack-
son and Walton roads. All
board members present were
in agreement. (John Thomas
was absent).
County Attorney David
Mincey, III told the board
he had scheduled a meeting
with Roberta Mayor Becky
Smith to discuss the lan
guage and final draft of the
proposed SPLOST resolu
tion and that the initiative
was proceeding in a timely
manner.
The board was informed
by Kelly that a deputy sher
iff had been injured while
on duty and that because he
was still in his probationary
period, he could not use his
personal leave without board
authorization. Kelly present
ed the board with the per
sonnel manual section which
deals with this issue. Section
205 of the manual states that
in the initial probationary
period new employees are
eligible for those benefits re
quired by law such as work
ers’ compensation and social
security. Full time employ
ees are eligible to participate
in the county’s benefits
programs while on probation
except for personal leave
unless denial would create
an unusual hardship and the
board of commissioners has
final authority in deciding on
its use. Commissioner Paul
Chapman made the motion
to allow the officer to use
personal leave and it passed
unanimously.
Chapman informed the
board he had been reviewing
the two different appraisals
submitted to the county for
property being considered
for a future industrial park.
The commissioner said
both appraisals were cor
rect despite the difference in
values. The first appraisal,
he said, valued the prop
erty from a commercial use
perspective while the second
one valued the property
from an agricultural use per
spective. Chapman said the
property was unique because
rail, water, sewer and utili
ties were available and those
features were necessary
when considering property
for a commercial use.
In other business, Kelly
presented the board with
proposed advertisement and
the Request for Qualifica
tions and Proposals for secu
rity upgrades for the Tax and
Administration offices at the
development center. (These
are in this week’s edition.)
Board members discussed
the process of disposal of
bodies when a next of kin
could not be located. The
local funeral home had in
dicated cemetery space was
not available and they were
not willing to cremate unless
someone or an entity autho
rized the cremation.
Mincey informed the
board that where there was
no next of kin and it was
an indigent case, the law
required the coroner to
donate the body for medical
research. He also said that
if this issue did arise, the
funeral home director should
contact the county coroner
to take possession of the
body.
Kelly told board members
the FY 2014 Budget process
was in full swing and that
as part of the process he
was meeting with various
department heads. He noted
that during discussions with
department heads, there may
be times when the depart
ment head and the county
manager did not agree on a
budget. He asked the board
to select two members to
hear from the county man
ager and department head in
order to recommend a course
of action to take. Commis
sioners Frank Hollis and
Dean Fripp were selected to
be available for discussions
on August 6, at 4 p.m.
Kelly also requested that
the 3rd Quarter Adminis
tration Budget discussion
be added to the August
6th agenda and the board
agreed.
Chairman Fripp reminded
board members they each
had a duty to make them
selves available to sign
payroll and accounts payable
checks. He said that Hollis
had been called upon too
often and was carrying the
lion’s share of the load and
that all should share in this
responsibility.
The grounds around the
Chamber and Depot got
a much needed sprucing
up Saturday. Above David
Cousino and Bo Shrigley
work on plants. At right top
row are Joanne Hamlin and
Bo Shrigley. From left back
row, Kimberly Lesperance,
Gloria Lesperance, Felic
ity Lesperance and Cole
Gaylord. In front are Paul
Carroll, Montene Carroll,
David Cousino and Faith
Casino. The sprucing up
was thanks to Modern
Woodmen courtesy of
Montene Carroll.
1 N
1
1 \ 1
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Come Taste
Crawford
Friday at
Chamber
Don’t forget about Friday’s
Fresh Taste of Crawford C oun-
ty. Since Crawford County/
Roberta has much to offer in
satisfying hunger pains the
Roberta -Crawford Chamber
of Commerce will be hold
ing a Fresh Taste of Crawford
County on Friday, July 26
from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Depot.
This will showcase what is
available for your tastebuds in
Roberta and Crawford Coun
ty. In case of rain, the event
will be held at the CGTC Ro
berta campus inside. For $3 a
person or $10 for a family of
four you can “taste” signature
food items from local eateries.
Participants who will be
providing the “taste” items
includes Till’s Treats, Kuntry
Kitchen, Hudson’s BBQ, Sub
way, Turner’s Wings, Cham
pion’s Restaurant and Big
Chic.
There will be a People’s
Choice vote for best decorated
table and the winner will be
announced before the night
ends. Chamber directors are
hoping that this will become
an annual event.
Though reservations are not
needed, the Chamber would
like to get an approximate head
count for the restaurants so if
you plan on attending please
let Patti know at the Chamber
office. For more information
contact Patti at the Chamber
office, 478-836-3825.
